Easter’s coming soon! Did you know that in many countries the day after Easter, called Easter Monday, is a public holiday? The map above shows in yellow all of the countries that celebrate it.

There are picnics, egg rolling contests and dousing of people with water that was blessed on Easter Sunday.

In Italy and Southern France, they have picnics. The Italians eat the hard boiled eggs that were decorated the day before Easter. The French serve omelets.

In Poland, the day is called Śmigus Dyngus. It’s also called lany poniedziałek (Wet Monday).  Traditionally it was an ancient tradition of young men looking for young ladies to marry. The boys would soak girls with water and hit them with pussy willow branches. The girls would get their revenge on Easter Tuesday by dousing the boys! Nowadays, it’s become a big water fight, involving water guns, spray bottles, squirt bottles and buckets.

Similar traditions are followed in Hungary, Czech Republic, Slovakia and Ukraine.

You can see a young lady getting doused in the video below…

You can learn a Śmigus Dyngus Song here.

Agnieszka Magnucka wrote, "I remember, when I was in primary school, that boys were trying to pour out water on girls. We were running away, but not too fast, we were pretending we didn’t want to get soaking wet…"

Though Agnieszka wrote that sometimes the custom was banned when she was older because some boys went overboard with the tradition.

If you’re visiting Poland on Easter Monday, make sure to wear galoshes and a raincoat!

Thanks for sharing your experience Agnieszka!

Mama Lisa

Image 1: Countries which have Easter Monday as an official holiday, cc.
Image 2: Soaking a Polish girl on Śmigus-Dyngus by Nationwide Specialty Co., Arlington, Texas — In Buffalo, N.Y., Stanley Novelty Co., 200 S. Ogden St. – Boston Public Library, cc.